Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs) are considered a type of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) because of their unique origin from the neural crest. SHEDs can self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation with the ability to differentiate into odontoblasts, osteoblast, chondrocytes, neuronal cells, hepatocytes, adipocytes, etc. They are emerging as an ideal source of MSCs because of their easy availability and extraordinary cell number. Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, has many cell-based applications, such as bone regeneration, osteoblastic differentiation, or extracellular matrix production. It also impacts stem cell plasticity and the ability to sustain pluripotent activity. In this study, we evaluate the effects of ascorbic acid on stemness, paracrine secretion, and differentiation into osteoblast, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. SHEDs displayed enhanced multifaceted activity, which may have applications in regenerative therapy.

The present review provides an insight into various potential areas of dentistry that are being invaded by nanotechnology based drugs and drug delivery systems. Current treatments for diseases of dental and oral structures rely on the use of classical pharmacological agents which, in some cases are limited by low efficacy and lack of selectivity to target cells. However, various nanostructures in drug delivery and their challenges in the field of dentistry have not been reviewed so far in the literature. The different treatment opportunities of importance include caries control restorations, tooth remineralisation, management of dentinal hypersensitivity, dental caries vaccine, management of oral biofilm, root canal disinfection, local anaesthesia and periodontal infection. The authors have also identified few dental applications demanding extensive research to emerge as a promising therapeutic strategy. We conclude by claiming that dentistry should follow the trend of probing matter at nanoscale to achieve a predictable treatment outcome.

Background: This study aimed to ascertain the prevalence of dental anomalies and their ability to estimate sex status. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional radiographic study was based on the evaluation of dental anomalies of Saudi children aged between 5 and 17 years. A total of 1940 orthopantomograms (OPG) were screened, of which 1442 were included. All the OPGs were digitally evaluated with ImageJ software. The demographic variables and dental anomaly findings were subjected to descriptive and comparative statistical analysis. Discriminant function analysis was conducted for sex estimation. p value < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The mean age of the children in this study was 11.35 ± 0.28 years. At least one dental anomaly was detected in 161 children (11.17%), including 71 males and 90 females. Only 13 children (8.07%) presented with more than one anomaly. The most common dental anomaly detected was root dilaceration (47.83%) followed by hypodontia (31.68%). The least common dental anomaly was infraocclusion (1.86%). The sex prediction accuracy using discriminant function analysis was 62.9% (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The prevalence of dental anomalies was 11.17% with root dilaceration and hypodontia being the most common. The role of dental anomalies in sex estimation was found to be ineffective.

Background: This study aimed to assess the knowledge about guidelines related to COVID-19 infection control procedures among dental health care professionals (DHCPs) in the Jazan region. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving DHCPs (dental students, interns, and dentists) of the Jazan region between January and March 2021. A questionnaire with 35 items was developed and circulated online among the DHCPs. The dimensionality of the questionnaire was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The level of awareness (LOA) was compared across the genders, level of professional experience, and exposure to guidelines. Participants were considered to have high LOA when they responded to 26 or more items correctly. Results: A total of 363 DHCPs participated in the survey. The questionnaire was found to be valid and reliable. EFA revealed a distinct three-factor structure. Moreover, 61.2% of the respondents had high LOA related to COVID-19 infection prevention. Among those who had high LOA, dentists (65.5%) were relatively more than the students (62.5%) and interns (46.2%). Among the six guideline statements related explicitly to operative dentistry, more than 50% of the respondents were aware of 3 guideline statements, while less than 50% of the respondents were aware of the remaining statements. Conclusions: Most DHCP had a high LOA for general COVID-19 infection prevention and control guidelines. Dentists, males, and those who read the guidelines had higher LOA than their counterparts.

Swaminathan K, et al. J Dent Anesth Pain Med. 2025 Feb;25(1):1-13. https://doi.org/10.17245/jdapm.2025.25.1.1

Stem cell therapy is an evolving treatment strategy in regenerative medicine. Recent studies report stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth could complement the traditional mesenchymal stem cell sources. Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth exhibit mesenchymal characteristics with multilineage differentiation potential. Mesenchymal stem cells are widely investigated for cell therapy and disease modeling. Although many research are being conducted to address the challenges of mesenchymal stem cell therapy in clinics, most of the studies are still in infancy. Host cell microenvironment is one of the major factors affecting the homing of transplanted stem cell and understanding the factors affecting the fate of stem cells of prime important. In this study we aimed to understand the effects of serum deprivation in stem cells derived from human deciduous tooth. Our study aimed to understand the morphological, transcriptional, cell cycle and stemness based changes of stem cells in nutrient deprived medium. Our results suggest that stem cells in nutrient deprived media undergo low proliferation, high apoptosis and changed the differentiation potential of the stem cells. Serum deprived mesenchymal stem cells exhibited enhanced chondrogenic differentiation potential and reduced osteogenic differentiation potential. Moreover, the activation of key metabolic sensor AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) leads to activation of transcription factors such as FOXO3, which leads to an S phase quiescence. Serum deprivation also enhanced the expression of stemness related genes Sox2 and c-Myc.